Concrete is a widely used construction material. As with all construction materials, improved quality is desired for the performance of a finished structure. Existing field quality control techniques for concrete such as, for example, slump test, are used to monitor bulk physical properties. Such quality control techniques, however, do not directly measure the individual physical or chemical components that affect the performance of the concrete material. Microstructure of concrete can be of considerable importance as it can govern the mechanical properties and durability of the concrete. Such microstructure can have significant influences on corrosion performance of reinforcing steel in the concrete.
Current methods for measuring performance of concrete are generally implemented after the material has been poured and allowed to set. Under such conditions, corrections to the material can be difficult to implement. A technique that could quantify the quality of cements in the field prior to pouring could save time and money.
Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) has been demonstrated to characterize electrochemical properties of materials and their interfaces. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy is generally described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,370,776 to Chen, U.S. Pat. No. 5,425,867 to Dawson et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 6,151,969 to Miller et al., all of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety in this patent.
It would be desirable to have, in some embodiments, a non-invasive system and method using the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy to determine composition of a material to overcome the above-identified drawbacks, in some embodiments. It would also be desirable to use electrochemical impedance spectroscopy to measure a variety of other physical phenomenon and overcome the time and expense involved in measuring each of such physical phenomenon.